Talk of the town among city’s town car drivers

Several private town car drivers complained Tuesday that the P-I’s story on illegal practices in their industry painted with too broad a brush.

The P-I’s Scott Gutierrezreported on uninsured or unlicensed town car drivers and those who had criminal backgrounds or who do business as illegal taxicabs. It’s a problem that city and state officials, along with cab and limo companies, say has worsened in the last few years.

In response to Gutierrez’s story Tuesday, he reports further here on what has become a growing concern in the local cab and town car industry:

The state has stepped up enforcement of town car violators in recent years but some officials question whether changes are needed in the law governing limousines and executive sedans.

Fentahun “Jordan” Molla, who works for his own company, Advance Limo Town Car Service, told Gutierrez that he’s been in business for 11 years. He said he obeys the law, has regular corporate clients, and doesn’t want to be confused with some in his industry who break the law.

“I have a company. I’m doing a good job. I never drive without insurance. I never have complaints from any customers. I’ve never had a complaint from an individual person,” he said. “But, this will hurt my business.”

Molla, who drove a taxi until a customer shot and wounded him in 1995, said he isn’t the type of driver who is soliciting passengers at downtown hotels. He runs his business through a Web site, advancelimousa.com.

He found out about the P-I’s story Tuesday from a regular customer who read the article and was concerned that Molla might not be insured.

“That is why I’m upset,” he said. “A lot of my friends call me and customers are afraid of this.”

The state licenses town cars under the Limo Law, which restricts them to “pre-arranged trips.” The city and county regulate the taxi industry under licensing requirements that are more stringent and more heavily enforced, which is why some switch to town cars to avoid tougher restrictions.

Some drivers thought the story unfairly singled out an industry that is dominated by disadvantaged immigrants trying to start betters lives, or who can’t afford to break into the taxi business. The city and county regulate how many licenses are issued, meaning new taxi drivers have to lease or pay big money to purchase a taxi license from a current holder.

Of the 490 executive sedans licensed in Washington, Gutierrez found that most are in King County.

For people who can’t get into the cab business, the city and county offer “for-hire” licenses that drivers can purchase to offer transportation service. It enables them to earn money or build a client base but vets them through the same background checks as taxis.

In King County, although not in Seattle, there are no prohibitions against for-hire drivers soliciting customers and many operate in eastside suburbs, said Craig Leisy, manager of Seattle’s Consumer Affairs Unit.

The Licensing Department has stepped up enforcement as city and port officials clamored for help. Licensing investigators began running “secret shopper” investigations once or twice a year at the Colman Docks, pretending to be customers and citing town cars who pick them up, said Harumi Tolbert, licensing program manager.

But the agency’s pool of five investigators splits time with other divisions and is on a limited budget.

“From a public standpoint, many people just don’t know where to go (with complaints),” Tolbert said.

Tolbert’s division is talking with the Attorney General’s office about how officials could better enforce penalties for license violations.

Leisy said it might be time for the state to allow large cities like Seattle to regulate town cars, since they’re competing with the city’s taxis. Whereas the state does a few investigations a year, the city has a full-time roving taxi inspector constantly checking for violations. The city also regularly audits taxi licenses, he said.

The law already allows port districts in populations over 1 million, such as the Port of Seattle, to license town cars.

“I don’t fault the state in any way. They’re stuck with the law however the Legislature passes it, and that’s what they have to enforce,” Leisy said.